Factors facilitating and hindering volunteering practices among ethnic-racial minority immigrants on the US-Mexico border

ABSTRACT

Using purposive sampling and in-depth interviews of 40 ethnic-racial minority immigrants (first-, 1.5-, and second-generations) on the US-Mexico border, this study examined factors that facilitated and hindered decisions to volunteer. Overall, analyses based on the Grounded Theory Method indicated that the participants’ proclivity to volunteer was driven by multifaceted factors related to the availability of their personal resources, altruistic concerns over the welfare of the disadvantaged, cost-benefit analyses that factored opportunity cost in decision-making, self-interest, and personal benefits accrued. Specifically, volunteering could be used as a venue to foster professional career development, attain personal growth, reap emotional benefits, and fulfil altruistic callings. Factors that deterred the participants from volunteering consisted of value clashes with the agency management, personality conflicts with other volunteers, challenges confronted in working with difficult client populations, and time constraints. This study also supported the resource perspective where participants with more personal resources such as time, network, knowledge, values, skill sets, and expertise were able to volunteer in a wider variety of capacities. Study findings can be used to promote a culture of diversity and inclusion in volunteering, remove barriers that hinder involvement, and encourage contribution from this growing segment of the U.S. population.

KEYWORDS:

• volunteering
• ethnic-racial minority immigrants
• resources
• rational choice
• US-Mexico border

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1 One participant chose not to disclose his age.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the University Research Institute (URI) Award offered by the University of Texas at El Paso.